Diplomatic representations from 45 countries and international organizations gather at Investe São Paulo

Event was held at the agency’s headquarters with the participation of diplomats, presidents of chambers of commerce and international banks

Japan, Mexico, Finland, Myanmar, Russia, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Czech Republic, Germany, Tunisia, Ireland. These are some of the 45 countries that were represented at the meeting entitled “Attracting foreign investments in the state of São Paulo,” held by Investe São Paulo invests at the Agency’s headquarters on July 28.

The purpose of the event was to discuss the state economy scenario and the public policies adopted to boost it, seeking a progress on the international agenda of the state.

“Our goal is to show that we are always open and ready to provide support to companies from all over the world in a personalized and excellent manner,” said the president of Investe SP, Juan Quirós, who welcomed the participants during the meeting.

The schedule also included presentations made by Ana Paula, head of the Special Advisory for International Affairs of São Paulo State Government; the new general manager of Apex-Brazil office in Sao Paulo, Francisco Luna, and two directors of Investe SP: Sérgio Costa and Ermínio Lucci.

Ana Paula Fava gave an overview of the international actions held by the government over the past few years, and how the diplomatic entities could collaborate in this scenario. “São Paulo has a lot to learn from other countries, but also a lot to teach,” she said.

The new manager of Apex in São Paulo said that partnerships with Investe SP are very important and that he participated in the creation of the agency when he worked in the Department of Planning of the state government.

Sérgio Costa showed the economic advantages and potential for investments of the state of São Paulo: “We know that when foreign companies arrive in Brazil, they need strong support from those who understand about the state and are ready to provide quality support. And that’s what we do,” he said.

Ermínio Lucci made a detailed presentation of how the projects are assisted at Investe São Paulo. “Our work has increasingly improved over the years, and today our team is ready for any type of project,” he said.

The last presentation was made by Ricardo Martins, director of Corporate Strategic Planning, Government Relations and Human Resources at Hyundai Motor Brazil. He talked about the support received by the company to establish its unit in Piracicaba (SP), its first Brazilian plant.

“When we prospected Brazil for the new unit, we considered two other states besides São Paulo. But they did not have the same structure of support and analysis that we needed to make the decision. Investe São Paulo traveled to South Korea and answered all our questions, allowing us to transform a business case into a business plan, with the construction of an automotive plant with a supplier park in the record time of just two years,” he said.

International presence

O event is part of a set of actions that have been implemented by Investe SP to strengthen the relationship of the Agency and the State of São Paulo with international organizations that can contribute to the arrival of new projects.

The most recent example was the execution of a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Economic Development, Science, Technology and Innovation and Invest in Bavaria, the investment promotion agency of the Bavarian government. Investe SP and the Department of Economic Development participated in the eighth edition of the Regional Leaders Summit in Munich, and took the opportunity to strengthen the relations with other institutions in the country.

Also in July, Investe SP promoted a trade mission to take entrepreneurs from São Paulo to prospect new markets in Colombia and Peru. This mission is expected to generate a turnover of over R$ 120 million in business. On the occasion, Investe São Paulo also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chamber of Commerce of Lima.

This year, Investe SP also welcomed delegations from the United Arab Emirates, the City of London, the financial center of London and Oman, among others.

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